Saturday, July 14, 2007

Descendants of Chemehuevi basket weaver return to site of her Victorville grave and the village where she lived for 104 years

7.14.07

Descendants of ‘Indian Maria’ revive history of their people
By TATIANA PROPHET Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE — Over the centuries, the Mojave Narrows has been a crossroads — for the Indians, then for the Spanish, then for American ranchers and settlers.

But there was one person who stayed there the longest of anyone — dwelling in Victorville all her 104 years. She is Maria Chapula, known as Indian Maria, Indian Marie, or even Victorville Maria.

On Monday, the day before the 47th anniversary of her death, Chapula’s granddaughter came to Old Town to visit her grave and rediscover memories of her visits here as a child.

When Chapula died on July 10, 1960, she was the last member of a Chemehuevi village near the Narrows. But she was not the last of her tribe.

Her descendant, Ernestine Paddock Sharpe, drove from Parker, Ariz., to bring the history of her people out of obscurity.

“We want to preserve it,” she said. “It’s being lost right now as it is.”

Though many in Victorville would not know it, Indian Maria lives on through her works of art, housed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Chapula was a master basket weaver.

“My grandmother always said the Chemehuevi baskets are the hardest baskets to make in the United States,” said Weegie Claw, a cousin of Sharpe’s whose grandmother used to weave with Chapula.

Claw now teaches the art of basket weaving in Tehachapi, continuing the tradition of a basket woven so well that it is more like a bowl.
“The weave is so tight they can hold water,” she said.

It takes six to eight weeks to make a Chemehuevi basket, working 10 to 12 hours a day, Claw said.

Phil Wyman, a former California Assemblyman whose great grandparents started the cement plant in Oro Grande, met Chapula’s descendants through their mutual interest in native culture and accompanied them to Victorville.

“The friendship’s been renewed,” said Wyman, whose great grandmother used to go to the village to buy baskets from Chapula.

The Chemehuevi are related to the Paiute nation. A nomadic people, they wandered through the High Desert from the Colorado River on the east to the Tehachapi Mountains on the west and from Las Vegas and Death Valley on the north to the San Bernardino and San
Gabriel mountains on the south.

In the town of Victor, as it was once called, the village settled along the Mojave River where Victor Valley Memorial Park now is.

In 1867, when Maria was 11, a massacre at Chimney Rock — in retaliation for an earlier murder of three farm hands — thinned the ranks of her tribe. But she and her parents survived, according to a scholarly study of Indians in Victorville.

She married Manuel Chapula, who died in about 1932, according to a census by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Though she lived in poverty most of her life, dwelling in a temporary “brush arbor” built to shield her from sun, Chapula’s sense of home was a permanent one. She lived on a lot that stands empty today at the northwest corner of 10th and C streets.

“Maria was the only one that stayed,” Sharpe said. “This was home.”

Throughout her long life, she cleaned and cared for Victorville households and wove baskets out of native desert willow and devil’s claw, always wearing the Chemehuevi style of floor-length cotton skirt, blouse tucked in, white apron and white head scarf. She spoke a few words in Spanish, fewer in English, and the Chemehuevi dialect.

When her granddaughter used to come visit with their aunt, Chapula had retired and was weaving baskets full time — hosting her kinsmen as they would travel on their way somewhere.
At that time, Chapula’s companion was a dog named Sam.

Once when Chapula was shopping at Safeway, she bought too many things to carry, she told her granddaughter. When she came out of the store, Sam was already in the back of a taxi.

“The dog went around the corner and got in the taxi,” Sharpe said. “The driver knew her and circled around.”

Chapula’s grave is labeled as “Marie Chapuli,” a member of the Paiute tribe, at the Victor Valley cemetery, and is marked by a Victorville historic sign.

Ernestine Sharpe, Weegie Claw and Phil Wyman, bonded by their love of Indian culture, hope to bring some of Maria’s baskets back to the Victor Valley for display — a fitting monument to the place she so loved.

Tatiana Prophet may be reached at 951-6222 or at
tprophet@vvdailypress.com

CCM MERGER: High Debt Levels Prompt S&P to Downgrade Ratings

T R O U B L E D C O M P A N Y R E P O R T E R

Monday, June 26, Vol. 10, No. 150

Headlines

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its ratings on Detroit-based casino owner and operator CCM Merger Inc., including its corporate credit rating to 'B' from 'B+'.

Additionally, all ratings were removed from CreditWatch where they were placed with negative implications on April 7, 2006. The outlook is stable.

"The downgrade reflects Standard & Poor's assessment that the combination of weaker-than-expected operating performance during 2005, a highly competitive operating environment in the Detroit market, and high debt levels associated with the ongoing expansion project, have resulted in higher-than-expected near-term peak debt
leverage
that would no longer be consistent with the former rating," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Michael Scerbo.

As a result of the 6% gaming tax increase effective Sept. 1, 2004, and a much more aggressive marketing environment by competitors, CCM's earnings during 2005 declined materially from the prior year despite revenues remaining relatively flat. This competitive environment continued during the first quarter of 2006 and is likely to remain the case in the near to intermediate term. Still, over the long term, the market is expected to stabilize, which will enable CCM to reduce debt balances once the expansion of its gaming facility is complete.

However, during the expansionary period, CCM's adjusted total debt to EBITDA is expected to reach 8x in 2006, before potentially declining to levels more appropriate for the new rating in subsequent years. Operating disruptions associated with construction are expected to be limited, given the location of the expansion behind the current facility.

FEC Should look into why it is Marian Ilitch mascarades as a "Homemaker"

Among Senator Carl Levin's contributions from individuals whose employer/occupation is "N/A/HOMEMAKER":

18. ILITCH, MARIAN
19. ILITCH, MARIAN

Why in the world would Mrs. Marian Ilitch who along with here husband Mike Ilitch is co-owner of a $1.5 billion empire list herself as "homemaker" when she makes political contributions? Is it to avoid the amount of money totaling from Ilitch Holdings executives? This "homemaker" is same Marian Ilitch who is:

You may want to review these posts:

Levin pulls big money for re-election

7.13.07



Senate Democrat hopes to demoralize potential foes with huge election war chest.

Gordon Trowbridge
Detroit News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Carl Levin raised almost $1.8 million for his re-election campaign in the second quarter of this year, a total likely to place him near the top of the list nationally among 2008 Senate candidates.

Of Senate candidates who have released figures for the second three months of the year, only Minnesota Democrat Al Franken raised more money in the quarter. The radio host and former "Saturday Night Live" performer collected $1.9 million in the quarter.

A summary of Levin's second-quarter fundraising report Thursday showed him with about $2.9 million in his campaign account at the end of June, also among the top figures for '08 contenders who have announced their totals.

At this point in the 2002 race -- his last re-election bid -- Levin, D-Detroit, had $1.3 million in cash on hand, less than half of his current total.

Federal candidates have until Sunday to file their second-quarter reports.

Levin announced his re-election campaign in January and began raising money earlier than in past cycles, telling supporters he wanted to dampen Republican hopes that a small campaign account at the start of the year would make him more vulnerable to a challenger. Top-tier Republicans such as U.S. Reps. Candice Miller of Harrison Township and Mike Rogers of Brighton have declined to challenge Levin, and national analysts rank his seat among the safest Democratic Senate seats in 2008.

Former state lawmaker Andrew Raczkowski, who lost to Levin in 2002, has expressed interest in running again. Levin won that race with 61 percent of the vote, to 38 percent for Raczkowski. Levin has been in the Senate since 1979.

You can reach Gordon Trowbridge at (202) 662-8738 or gtrowbridge@detnews.com

Friday, July 13, 2007

S&P Credit Research: CCM Merger Inc. (summary)

Alacra Store - S&P Credit Research: CCM Merger Inc.

"The ratings on Detroit, Mich.-based CCM Merger Inc., the parent company of MotorCity Casino, reflect high debt levels associated with the acquisition of the property and its ongoing expansion, the company's narrow business focus being dependent upon a single source of cash flow, construction risks associated with the expansion, and highly competitive operating conditions in the Detroit gaming market.



Still, the Detroit market benefits from barriers to new competition and good customer demographics. As a result of the company's development agreement with Detroit, the company is required to expand the existing gaming facility. To satisfy this requirement, MotorCity is currently in the process of creating 100,000 sq. ft. of gaming space, a 400-room hotel, and 67,000 sq. ft. of convention space..."

Barstow Attorney Dennis Whittlesey now says tribes can't build casinos outside of their ancestral territories

Dennis Whittlesey has represented the City of Detroit and others including the City of Barstow, California where two tribes from opposite ends of California (Big Lagoon Rancheria from Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians from San Diego County) are trying to get approvals to build side-by-side casinos up to 750 miles from their reservations that would be developed and managed by the same Detroit casino syndicators who were behind Detroit's MotorCity Casino. Those syndication interests are also behind plans to build a Bay Mills Indian Tribe casino 350 miles from its reservation in Port Huron, Michigan.

Oddly enough, there's no public record in Barstow or Port Huron in which Whittlesey advised clients or is on the record to indicate that he didn't believe casinos would be built outside a tribe's ancestral territories. Quite the contrary. In Barstow Whittlesey negotiated several municipal service agreements with two tribes that have no histories in the Mojave Desert area surrounding Barstow and reportedly worked behind the scenes in an attempt to block a tribe with ancestral ties to the Barstow area from moving forward with casino plans there.

Now Whittlesey, who recently came to represent the town of Middleborough, Massachusetts says tribes casn't go outside their aboriginal territories for the purpose of building casinos.

The following published 6.13.07 in the Boston Globe:



"Dennis Whittlesey, a Washington lawyer representing Middleborough in the negotiations, questioned the plausibility of allowing the tribe to open a casino in Boston. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, he pointed out, was aimed at restricting a tribe's gaming operations to the area considered the tribe's historical lands. Those lands extend from Mashpee throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

" 'The chances of a casino in Boston is zero,' said Whittlesey, who has specialized in Indian gaming for more than 30 years.

"In three cases nationally, tribes with reservations have been allowed to purchase land outside their historical areas to open a casino. The Bush administration has announced it will not grant any such petitions for the remainder of its term in office.

" 'The Mashpee cannot go open a casino in downtown Chicago, and they cannot go open one in downtown Boston,' Whittlesey said."


This past year Whittlesey joined the Michigan based Dickinson Wright law firm in which former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer is chairman.

Wings open season against champion Ducks - mlive.com

Wings open season against champion Ducks - mlive.com:

By Ansar Khan

"DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings won't have to wait long to renew old acquaintances, opening the 2007-08 regular season against the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks Oct. 3 at Joe Louis Arena.

Anaheim, which eliminated Detroit in the Western Conference finals this spring, signed former Wings Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi to free-agent contracts last week. The Ducks will be on their way back home from London, England, where they open the regular season against the Los Angeles Kings on Sept. 29-30."

Marian Ilitch's MotorCity Casino previews new hotel rooms

Bets, bath & beyond: MotorCity Casino shows off plush new hotel
The Detroit News got a sneak peak at a model of one of the deluxe rooms that will open this fall at the Ilitch organization's expanded MotorCity Casino Hotel in downtown Detroit.



Additional views can be seen at newly revised MotorCityCasino.com



"It all will be part of the experience of staying at MotorCity Casino's new 400-room hotel, scheduled to open on Nov. 1 as part of its $275 million entertainment complex off the Lodge Freeway at Grand River. The 17-story hotel will feature 359 rooms, plus 41 suites ranging from 700 square feet to 5,000 square feet.

The state-of-the-art rooms will start at $300 a night. The hotel's four-bedroom suite, complete with butler services, is $8,000 a night.

The casino on Thursday showcased a model of its smallest room, a 435-square-foot unit outfitted with a plasma TV and an iPod docking station. The luxury bedding includes 300-thread-count sheets and robes. The marble bathrooms boast a soaking tub and a separate shower area.

"This is a luxury hotel," said Asaad Farag, MotorCity Casino's newly hired vice president of hotel operations. "We're looking for at least a four-star rating. You will have everything you want at this location. There is a lot of pride in this hotel."

Farag said MotorCity sees its complex as a luxury convention facility, one with elegant rooms, spa and fitness services, conference and meeting spaces, restaurants, entertainment venues and 100,000 square feet of gaming space. The complex is being built adjacent to the site where MotorCity opened in 1999 as a temporary casino; that space has been expanded into a permanent gaming facility that opened in June.

He noted that when the hotel was being planned, its owner, Marian Ilitch, vice chairwoman of Ilitch Holdings and wife of Little Caesars Pizza magnate Mike Ilitch, wanted nothing but the best. He said Marian Ilitch even got involved in picking out linens.

"It's high-end quality," Farag said. "We are using 300-count linen. Marian Ilitch said if she uses it in her home, her guests should have it in her hotel. That's the philosophy of this property."

A hotel gaming expert said it's too early to determine whether the MotorCity's room rates will fly in the Detroit market."


http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/BIZ/707130358/1001

Courts Denied Bay Mills Indian Community's Charlotte Beach Land Claims

Opinion of the Michigan Court of Appeals in Bay Mills Indian Community v. State of Michigan, Governor of Michigan, et. al. (No. 218580, Court of Claims, LC No. 96-016482-CM); published March 2, 2001. Court denied the Bay Mills Indian Community's claims to 110 acres in the Charlotte Beach subdivision east of Barbeau, Michigan; upheld claims court

read more | digg story

Ilitch names international hospitality veteran as new MotorCity Casino Hotel VP

as posted 7.13.07 at Hospitality Design Asia:

Asaad Farag to oversee MotorCity Casino Hotel
July 13, 2007

Asaad Farag, an international hospitality industry veteran, has been named vice president of hotel operations for MotorCity Casino Hotel. Farag's responsibilities will include all aspects of hotel operations including the spa, retail, catering, and conference sales.

Prior to his new assignment, Farag was general manager of the Conrad Istanbul, where he directed the development of the 5-star, 584-room hotel. Farag has also served as general manager of the Regent Wall Street Hotel & Spa in New York City and was a member of the start-up team for the Stirling Club Turnberry Place in Las Vegas, serving as vice president and general manager. In addition, he has managed the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles and held various senior positions with the Ritz Carlton in Cleveland, the Walt Disney Dolphin in Orlando, the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, and the Plaza in New York City.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

New Qs For California Tribal Cash Distribution Fund

as posted 7.12.07 by KQED's John Myers at Capitol Notes :

A new analysis by the state auditor suggests that the payments made by gambling tribes into a special fund for local governments may not always be used the way they're supposed to be.

State Auditor Elaine Howle's report focuses on what's known as the Special Distribution Fund, a fund created by the enactment of the original 1999 Indian casino compacts. Those compacts required tribes to pay a portion of their proceeds into the SDF for projects to mitigate the community impacts of tribal casinos.

But Howle's audit (which focuses on the 2005-06 fiscal year) found that in some instances, local governments don't appear to be using the cash for actual casino mitigation. One example comes from Sonoma County, where she says $52,000 in SDF money was used to buy surveillance cameras at Healdsburg Hospital.

"Although the hospital claimed it experienced several acts of vandalism in its parking areas and other disturbances," wrote Howle, "it could not provide evidence showing that those incidents were related to the [nearby] casino or that the number of criminal incidents on its property had increased since the casino was built."

Howle says there were other grants -- totaling about $2.3 million -- that might have been tangentially related to impacts from a nearby Indian casino, but not directly related. Even so, she says none of this is illegal because existing law isn't specific enough about how SDF money is used. She suggests that legislators make it clear that the money must be used to mitigate actual casino impacts.

The state auditor also chronicles what sounds like a case of double dipping. Tribes that renegotiated their casino compacts in recent years no longer have to pay into the SDF, and instead now must negotiate directly with local governments to pay for mitigation. And yet, says the auditor, some of these counties are still getting money from the SDF... a total of $850,000 in the 2005-06 fiscal year... even though that money ostensibly should go to communities that don't have a means of negotiating directly with gaming tribes. Again, it's not that they're breaking the law, says Howle... but rather that the existing law doesn't specify this to be a no-no.

If that's not enough to leave your head spinning, then consider one final finding from the newly released audit: the Special Distribution Fund could run out of money.

Why? Well, says Howle, the revised casino deals struck in recent years between the big gaming tribes and Governor Schwarzenegger generally require those tribes to share their revenues with the state's general fund; in exchange, those tribes can stop paying money into the SDF. She estimates that will eventually mean a decrease in SDF cash of $92 million a year.

And because the SDF is used not only for gambling mitigation... but also to make up any shortfalls in a separate program that sends money to impoverished tribes... Howle says it's very likely that the SDF is going to get squeezed for cash.

The audit is here.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Boldrey, McLellan, the Dykema Gossett law firm and their connection to John Engler and the Bay Mills Indian Community

R. Lance Boldrey was chief counsel for Indian affairs matters to Governor John Engler in 2002 and negotiated the 11th hour land claims settlement agreement Engler signed with the Bay Mills Indian Community (Tribe). He even represented Engler (with just 90 days left in Engler’s term) before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee on October 10, 2002 at a hurried hearing on a bill (S. 2986) introduced by Michigan’s junior Senator Debbie Stabenow and intended to win Congressional approval of the Engler Settlement Agreement and pave the way for an off-reservation Indian casino in Port Huron, Michigan. (The Dykema law firm would end up being the third largest contributor to Sen. Stabenow’s re-election campaign)

As part of the Engler Settlement Agreement (a document now available at the Dykema Web site), the tribe agreed to give up its so-called claims to 110 acres of land in the Charlotte Beach subdivision east of Barbeau, Michigan; in exchange, the tribe would be granted the right to develop and run a third casino which would be located in Port Huron, Michigan; more than 350 miles away from its existing Reservation. The move on Engler’s part represented a flip-flop of a long held policy opposing off-reservation gaming and was also rather suspect given that among other things both state and federal courts had recently tossed out the Tribe’s same land claims. Shortly after Engler left office, Boldrey went to work in the Lansing office of the Dykema Gossett law firm in which Richard D. McLellan was a senior member and head of the firm's Government Policy practice group responsible for the firm's public policy, administrative law and lobbying practices in Lansing and Washington, D.C. And shortly there after, Dykema Gossett was representing the Bay Mills Indian Tribe and its partners.

Richard D. McLellan, at one time was even manager of the law firms Lansing offices. And after Boldrey joined the firm in 2003, they would form two new practice groups: Indian Law and Gaming. In 2005 they would represent Marian Ilitch in her acquisition of MotorCity Casino’s majority interest from Mandalay Resort Group/MGM Mirage and oversee acquisition of more than $1.1 billion in funding used to finance the Ilitch deal.

McLellan as it turns out was an old friend, confidant and political agent for John Engler. In fact, McClellan had helped Engler form the Corner Stone Foundation in 1987 which would later be known as Mackinac Center for Public Policy; the groups were funded heavily by insurance companies and pharmaceuticals. McLellan served in a leadership capacity for Engler’s campaign in 1990 and then was transition director for the Governor-elect assisting in the formation of Governor Engler's Administration; and McLellan would be appointed to various positions by Engler throughout his 12 years as Governor of Michigan including as a member and secretary of the Michigan International Trade Authority, a member of the Michigan Jobs Commission, member of the Library of Michigan Board, and chairman of the Michigan Corrections Commission, among others. McLellan was also instrumental in planning an amendment to the state constitution that would allow public funding of religious schools.

McLellan retired from day to day practice with Dykmea Gossett in April 2007. McLellan’s Biography.

Detroit gives more land to Ilitch at bargain price

On June 4, 2007, the Detroit City Council approved the sale of property at 200 W. Montcalm to Olympia Development for $50,000. The 3,700 sq. ft. lot was described as a tax forfeiture. At $50,000 that would be at a cost of $14 per square foot; rather cheap by comparison to what the Ilitch organization (West Grand River Lofts LLC) paid for the Elizabeth Street Lofts property at 2030 W. Grand River Ave.; $1.73 million for a 7,405 square foot lot with a 22,689 square foot structure.


With this transfer of property by the City to Olympia Development, the Ilitches now own 9 of 13 parcels on W. Montcalm St. in the Foxtown area of Detroit.

Parcel No

Address

Owners

02-000471-83

28 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3423

OLYMPIA ENTERTAINMENT INC

02-000450-2

67 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3422

OLYMPIA ENTERTAINMENT INC

02-000454.

111 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

FIRE DEPT L-3

02-000455.

119 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

KACHADOURIAN DAN

02-000468.

120 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3425

RANDAZZO JENNIE

02-000456.

127 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MI LLC

02-000457.

135 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

MARTIN GEORGE B

02-000458-61

143 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MI LLC

02-000466-7

146 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3425

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT

02-000465.

200 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3425

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT

02-000462-3

201 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT

02-000464.

213 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MI LLC

02-002046.

229 W MONTCALM ST, DETROIT, MI 48201-3424

OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MI LLC

Map of plotted properties in Foxtown and the neighborhood surrounding MotorCity Casino in Detroit.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

DOI Assistant Secretary testified against Bay Mills land claims settlement before Senate Committee

At a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior - Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin testified that the Department did not support the Bay Mills Indian Community's land claims settlement as represented in the bill S. 2986 introduced by Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow and backed by then Governor John Engler and his agent R. Lance Boldrey.

Among Assistant Secretary Martin's objections:
  • the Act of Congress would "force a number of administrative actions without giving the Administration sufficient time to review the terms and there is no provision for obtaining the views of other interested parties, including other Tribes, prior to executing these significant actions."

  • "The Settlement Agreement also contains other gaming-related provisions. It has been the policy of the Department to require that provisions such as these be part of the Class III gaming compact between a tribe and the State. In our view, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) requires that all substantive provisions relating to the operation of gaming activities be included in the tribal/state compact. This bill arguably carves an exception to this requirement of IGRA, and may set a precedent for other parties to try to do the same."

  • "Under statutory and regulatory provisions, the BIA is normally required to consult with local units of state government and other Tribes prior to taking land into trust. The mandatory nature of this trust acquisition, as well as the short time frame provided in the bill, precludes us from consulting with interested parties in this regard. The legislation also precludes the Department from evaluating the subject property to determine whether hazardous materials (such as lead paint, mercury, spilled fuel, other dangerous or toxic material), or other potential liabilities exist, and to work with the owner on a remediation plan if necessary. "

DOI Associate Secretary encourages Big Lagoon Rancheria to re-consider casino location closer to reservation; discourages Barstow scheme



THE ASSOCIATE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON, DC 20240

February 13, 2007

    The Honorable Virgil Moorehead
    Chairman, Big Lagoon Rancheria
    P.O. Box 3060
    Trinidad, California 95570

    Dear Chairman Moorehead:

    The Big Lagoon Rancheria (Tribe) has proposed that the United States take 23.1 acres in trust for a proposed casino project located in Barstow, San Bernardino County, California. The Tribe, which has approximately 18 members, owns approximately 25 acres of land in trust located at the edge of the Big Lagoon, along the Pacific Ocean coastline in Humboldt County, California over 550 miles from the proposed project.

    Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) permits Indian Tribes to establish gaming operations on Indian lands upon which the tribe exercised jurisdiction as of October 17, 1988. Clearly, the Tribe did not exercise jurisdiction on the subject parcel in 1988, therefore it cannot be used for gaming purposes as a matter of law. However, IGRA provides several exceptions in Section 20 of IGRA.

    The application from the Tribe seeks to obtain approval under an exception referred to in Section 20 of IGRA. Section 20 allows tribes to conduct casino gaming off-reservation if certain conditions are met. Please be advised that we share the concerns that many have expressed with off-reservation gaming and so-called “reservation shopping.” During the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives that would have significantly restricted or eliminated the options currently available to Indian tribes under Section 20.

    As a result of the public concerns being reflected in the aforementioned proposed legislation and other concerns advanced by local jurisdictions, the Department will be reviewing the regulations that govern the processing of fee-into-trust applications (25 CFR Part 151). We anticipate changes to the rules that may result in fewer off-reservation properties being accepted into trust. In particular, we expect to consider a paradigm where the likelihood of accepting off-reservation land into trust decreases with the distance the subject parcel is from the Tribe’s established reservation or ancestral lands, and the majority of tribal members.

    Further, we plan to review our approach for soliciting and accommodating the views of elected officials (State, county, city, etc.) and community members in the local area as part of our IGRA Section 20 decisions. We also plan more detailed consideration of the broad implications associated with new gaming operations with established communities where gaming is not currently conducted.

    Finally, we expect continued Congressional efforts during the 110th Congress to restrict or terminate the options currently available under Section 20. Consequently, the Department plans to review its approach to evaluating Section 20 gaming applications to ensure that we are able to justify to concerned Congressional leaders any action the Department may take to approve an off-reservation gaming application.

    Because the Department has not considered the relative merits of your Section 20 application yet, we cannot advise you further about its prospects for approval. We know that pursuing a Section 20 gaming application can be a long challenging, and expensive process. We urge you to become fully aware of the changing environment and to discuss the risks of pursuing an off-reservation gaming application with your tribal council, legal counsel, and business partners. In addition, we urge you to consider fully the relative risks, costs, and benefits of pursuing an alternative gaming initiative closer to the Tribe’s existing reservation.

    After your thoughtful review of the changing gaming environment, and if you should decide to commit the resources required to pursue your application further, we will work with the Tribe, representatives of local jurisdictions, the public, and Congress to ensure that we can properly evaluate your application.

    Sincerely,

    James E. Cason


Copy of original letter from James E. Cason to Virgil Moorehead

DOI Associate Secretary encourages Los Coyotes to reconsider on-reservation casino; discourages Barstow scheme



THE ASSOCIATE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON, DC 20240


February 13, 2007
    The Honorable Catherine Saubel
    Chairwoman, Los Coyotes Band
    of Cahuilla & Cupeňo Indians
    P.O. Box 189
    Warner Springs, California 92086

    Dear Chairman Saubel:

    The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeňo Indians (Tribe) has proposed that the United States take 20 acres in trust for a proposed casino project located in Barstow, San Bernardino County, California. The Tribe, which has approximately 288 members, owns approximately 25,049.63 acres of land in trust near Warner Springs, California over 115 miles from the proposed project.

    Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) permits Indian Tribes to establish gaming operations on Indian lands upon which the tribe exercised jurisdiction as of October 17, 1988. Clearly, the Tribe did not exercise jurisdiction on the subject parcel in 1988, therefore it cannot be used for gaming purposes as a matter of law. However, IGRA provides several exceptions in Section 20 of IGRA.

    The application from the Tribe seeks to obtain approval under an exception referred to in Section 20 of IGRA. Section 20 allows tribes to conduct casino gaming off-reservation if certain conditions are met. Please be advised that we share the concerns that many have expressed with off-reservation gaming and so-called “reservation shopping.” During the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives that would have significantly restricted or eliminated the options currently available to Indian tribes under Section 20.

    As a result of the public concerns being reflected in the aforementioned proposed legislation and other concerns advanced by local jurisdictions, the Department will be reviewing the regulations that govern the processing of fee-into-trust applications (25 CFR Part 151). We anticipate changes to the rules that may result in fewer off-reservation properties being accepted into trust. In particular, we expect to consider a paradigm where the likelihood of accepting off-reservation land into trust decreases with the distance the subject parcel is from the Tribe’s established reservation or ancestral lands, and the majority of tribal members.

    Further, we plan to review our approach for soliciting and accommodating the views of elected officials (State, county, city, etc.) and community members in the local area as part of our IGRA Section 20 decisions. We also plan more detailed consideration of the broad implications associated with new gaming operations with established communities where gaming is not currently conducted.

    Finally, we expect continued Congressional efforts during the 110th Congress to restrict or terminate the options currently available under Section 20. Consequently, the Department plans to review its approach to evaluating Section 20 gaming applications to ensure that we are able to justify to concerned Congressional leaders any action the Department may take to approve an off-reservation gaming application.

    Because the Department has not considered the relative merits of your Section 20 application yet, we cannot advise you further about its prospects for approval. We know that pursuing a Section 20 gaming application can be a long challenging, and expensive process. We urge you to become fully aware of the changing environment and to discuss the risks of pursuing an off-reservation gaming application with your tribal council, legal counsel, and business partners. In addition, we urge you to consider fully the relative risks, costs, and benefits of pursuing an alternative on-reservation gaming initiative.

    After your thoughtful review of the changing gaming environment, and if you should decide to commit the resources required to pursue your application further, we will work with the Tribe, representatives of local jurisdictions, the public, and Congress to ensure that we can properly evaluate your application.

    Sincerely,

    James E. Cason




Copy of Original Letter from James E. Cason to Catherine Saubel

Washington Post blogger Chris Cilliza runs down the 'Endorsement Elite' among Michigan's GOP

from a post 7.10.07 by Chris Cillizza at the washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog "The Fix:"


Endorsement Elite: Michigan Republicans
It's a testament to the uncertainties still present in the Fast Track Campaign there are at least three potential dates still in discussion for Michigan's Republican presidential primary.

Currently, no primary date is set. Two bills are sitting in the state legislature -- one that would set the primary on Feb. 5 -- the new Super Tuesday --and the other that would hold it on Jan. 29, the same day that Florida and South Carolina are scheduled to vote. Still others in MIchigan want to move the primary up even earlier in an attempt to trump New Hampshire with whom Michiganders have long feuded about the nominating calendar.

Whenever the vote happens, it will be an important test for the Republican field. Despite its population losses over the past few decades, Michigan remains a large state in the politically crucial middle of America. And, it is also a state where two of the better-known Republicans in the race have political bases. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won the state over President George W. Bush in 2000 and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) was born in Michigan and his father, George, served as the state's governor.

Regardless of the exact date, it's a near-certainty that Michigan will again be central to the fight for the Republican nomination. With that in mind, we offer The Fix's Endorsement Elite -- the five individuals seen as most influential within the state's GOP. (For past Endorsement Elites, click
here.) ...

Candice Miller. Miller is regarded as perhaps the most politically savvy of the Michigan Republican delegation (with the possible exception of Rep. Mike Rogers) and has her eye on a statewide race down the line. Miller represents roughly two-thirds of Macomb County, a fast growing population center in the state and has a reputation as a political brawler -- a necessity in a tough nomination fight. COMMITTED TO GIULIANI

Monday, July 09, 2007

Casino syndicator pays $90,000 for the right to hunt elk in New Mexico

New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, news release:


"NEW MEXICO ELK TAG BRINGS $90,000 AT RMEF CONVENTION

RENO, NEV. - The bidding was fast and furious during the auction for New Mexico's elk tag Feb. 21, 2004, at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's annual convention in Reno, Nev. Starting at $35,000, the bidding brought a roar from the crowd when it topped $60,000 and kept climbing.

Mike Malik of Grosse Pointe, Mich., won the tag with a whopping $90,000 bid - the highest amount for any state elk tag sold at this year's auction and higher than any previous tags in New Mexico. Malik also bought the 2003 New Mexico tag for $45,000. "

NewsMeat.com provides a snapshot look at Ilitch Family DC political contributions and bundling practices



NewsMeat.com gives one of the best indepent overviews of the Ilitch Family's federal political contributions -- that is the family of Detroit billionaire Mike Ilitch (Little Caesars Pizza, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings), his wife Marian Ilitch (Detroit's MotorCity Casino Hotel) and their seven children and spouses.

NewsMeat.com's presentation of the data generates a good snapshot into the Ilitch Family's practice of "bundling."

Other Ilitch Family members who've contributed to federal candidates: James Scalici (Denise Ilitch's husband); Glen Murray (Lisa Ilitch Murray's husband); Carole Ilitch Trepeck. These contributions should also be overlayed with those of Ilitch Family agent Michael J. Malik, Sr. (Mike Malik)

Here's an explanation of "bundling" from the Hoover Institution glossary:

"Bundling -- The practice of pooling individual contributions from various people -- often those employed by the same business [Ilitch Holdings, Inc.] or in the same profession -- in order to maximize the political influence of the bundler. Typically, all of the checks collected in this way are sent or delivered to candidates on the same day. PACs and political party committees that have already given the maximum allowed by law often bundle individual contributions as a way of delivering even more money to candidates . See also "Conduit"


Dennis Troha, a Wisconsin trucking magnate whose family (like the Ilitch Family) is among the top "bundlers" to candidates like Alaska's Rep. Don Young, was indicted this past spring on charges that he used his family members to launder money to political candidates.

By law, donors can't receive advances or reimbursements for political contributions they make. Reportedly Troha would either provide members of his family with funds which they would in turn contribute to political candidates at this direction or were reimbursed by Dennis Troha or his affiliates after making contributions he directed in a similar fashion.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Three years after newspaper challenge, Barstow casino syndicators have still failed to produce ...

The following was written three years ago (March 2004) by Barry Gadbois, a regular columnist who contributed to the Desert Dispatch newspaper in Barstow, CA.

More than three years later, (and four years after being awarded exclusivity to the Barstow territory) Detroit-based Barwest LLC has failed to deliver on any of the challenges the columnist raised; among them

  • Barwest still has failed to deliver land into trust.

  • Barwest has yet to make a full public disclosure of those who are actually bankrolling the Barstow plans.

  • Barwest president Michael J. Malik, Sr., has yet to be granted a gaming license anywhere else.

"...BarWest has had their exclusive agreement since last summer, yet little progress has been made. Despite their failure to deliver land into trust, investor Mike Malik has threatened to pull out completely if the city even entertains competing ideas.

No one has ever disclosed the complete list of investors that comprise BarWest, but we do know some of them. Malik spent a lot of money lobbying for the legalization of Indian gaming in Michigan. One of his partners, Larry Deitch, is a University of Michigan regent who authored the 1996 statute which gave birth to gaming in Michigan.

Mike Malik, along with investors Nellie Varner and Herb Strather, invested heavily in Detroit's MotorCity Casino. The Michigan Gaming Control Board determined that Malik, Varner, and Strather could not be granted gaming licenses to operate a casino. According to a Sept. 14, 1999 Las Vegas Review-Journal article ( "MotorCity Casino partners face questions from state regulators") Varner and Strather had problems with past real estate dealings, and investigators raised questions about Malik that were "related to federal tax matters."

If the aforementioned investors had decided to stay on board and appeal the decision, then the board could have disclosed their reasons for denial to the public, and if denied licenses they could have only sold their shares to recover their original investment. For their discretion Varner received $9.4 million, Strather cashed out to the tune of $18.4 million, and the amount of sale for Malik's shares according The Detroit News was not disclosed.

At the same time that Malik, Varner, and Strather sold their shares of the casino amid questions from the gaming control board, Larry Deitch also sold his shares in the casino. He made $2.35 million in an effort to prevent questions about conflict of interest since he was a public official with the University of Michigan. To be fair, this was Mr. Deitch's choice -- he was not compelled to do so.

http://archive.desertdispatch.com/2004/107970589870599.html

Port Huron Columnist provides measured Q&A on Bay Mills casino circumstances

7.08.07


New attempt at casino bill is perseverance at its best

By MIKE CONNELL
Times Herald

Seven hundred years ago, the king of Scotland was on the run, his army routed by the English for a sixth time.

The king, if legend is to be believed, took shelter in a shanty on an island off the coast of Ireland, where he watched a spider try to cast its web from one beam to another. Six times the spider tried, and six times it failed. Then, on the seventh try, it succeeded.

Robert the Bruce, as the king was known, took heart, resumed the fight and won freedom for Scotland in a seventh battle.

Fable or fact, it's a wonderful tale of patience and perseverance. I was reminded of it last week when I learned that U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, has introduced yet another bill to allow the Bay Mills Indian Community develop a casino at the Thomas Edison Inn.

Six past bills - five in the House and one in the Senate - have failed for a variety of reasons. The question now is whether the casino developers, like the Scottish king, will be rewarded for their patience and perseverance, not to mention millions of dollars in legal and lobbying costs.

Here's a look at the issue in question-and-answer format:

Question: What is the status of the latest measure?
Answer: Stupak's bill (H.R. 2176) was introduced May 3 without fanfare and referred to the House Natural Resources Committee, which has taken no action. The measure is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, whose district includes Port Huron.

Q: Are congressional hearings likely?
A: No requests for a hearing had been made as of midday Friday. There may not be much left to say. On June 24, 2004, the
same committee held a hearing on a similar bill introduced by Miller.

Q: What happened then?
A: The bill ultimately was blocked by House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, a close friend of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The Saginaw Chippewas, who strongly oppose a Bay Mills casino in Port Huron, earlier had paid Abramoff about $14 million.

Q: Who supports the casino?
A: Mike Malik, a Detroit-based casino syndicator, is orchestrating the effort. The Bay Mills Indian Community of the Upper Peninsula would own it. Port Huron City Council has signed off on the idea, and city voters gave their blessings in an advisory vote six years ago. The measure passed, 3,111 to 2,628.

Q: What's in it for Port Huron?
A: Money and jobs. The city's unemployment rate was 12.1% in April, and that statistic doesn't count jobless workers whose benefits have run out. Promoters say the casino and an adjoining 300-room resort hotel would provide 2,000 to 3,000 jobs. In 2001, voters were promised those jobs would pay union wages.

Voters also were assured the casino would share 5% of its net revenues with the city and 3% with the United Way. If net revenues are $100 million a year, which seems conservative based on revenues at Point Edward, that's $5 million for the city and $3 million for the United Way. Reportedly, the county has been promised a 2% share.

It's interesting to look at literature distributed to voters by pro-casino forces six years ago. They predicted the city would desperately need the additional $5 million a year to pay for its $185 million sewer project. They also predicted McMorran Place would need $12 million in renovations by 2011. Those predictions have come to pass.

Q: Are these shares guaranteed in writing?
A: I don't believe so. Lansing's agreement with Bay Mills does guarantee the state 8% of proceeds from slot machines and other electronic gaming devices.

Q: What is Bay Mills?
A: It's a Chippewa (or Ojibwa) band of about 1,500 people based in Brimley, a town near Sault Ste. Marie. The band tried unsuccessfully to develop a casino at the old Sears building in downtown Port Huron in 1993.

Q: What is the state's agreement with Bay Mills?
A: In 2002,
three months before he left office, Gov. John Engler approved a deal letting the tribe develop a casino in Port Huron in exchange for dropping its long-standing claim to 110 acres at Charlotte Beach about 15 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie.

The Soo, a much larger Chippewa band with about 31,000 members, also claimed title to the property. On the day he left office, Engler signed off on a deal giving the Soo (or Sault) the right to develop a casino in Flint, Monroe or Romulus. The Soo chose a site near Metro Airport in the latter city.

Q: Didn't Engler oppose casino gambling?
A: Yes. For years,
he was outspoken in his opposition.

Q: Then why would he allow a casino in Port Huron?
A: Former U.S. Rep. David Bonior, a Democrat who represented Port Huron during the Engler years, said the governor was persuaded by fair-trade arguments.

Testifying at a Senate hearing in 2002, Bonior explained: "Port Huron, I would note, is the only U.S-Canadian border crossing in Michigan without a casino to compete. Residents in Port Huron have for years watched as residents of Michigan, about about 5,000 a day, simply cross the Blue Water Bridge with their money to the gaming facility which is located right across the bridge on the river."

Q:
Who is Mike Malik and what is his role?
A: He is a Clay Township native who has become wealthy as a close associate of the Ilitch family. In fact, he works out of the Ilitches' offices at the Fox Theatre complex in Detroit.

Malik is the fellow who makes things happen, whether it's hiring lobbyists and lawyers or drumming up local support. He also guided the unsuccessful 1993 effort to place a Bay Mills/Harrah's casino in Port Huron.

For at least 15 years, he has sought to develop a huge marina on Harsens Island. His latest proposal appears to be coordinated with efforts by
Matty Moroun, the billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge, to build a toll bridge connecting the island and Algonac. Malik and Moroun are next-door neighbors on the lakefront in posh Grosse Pointe Shores.

Q: Who opposes the casino?
A: They tend to fall in three camps - those who oppose gambling in general, those who fear a Port Huron casino would set a bad legal precedent and those who benefit from rival casinos.

Q: And who benefits?
A: You might start with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, whose city is home to three casinos just 60 miles from Port Huron. He has been a fierce and tenacious opponent. The Saginaw Chippewas, who own a casino in Mount Pleasant, and the Grand Traverse Band, who operate a casino near Traverse City, also have been outspoken foes. In fact, nine of Michigan's 12 federally recognized Indian bands are on record as opposing the Bay Mills/Port Huron project.

As an aside, that's why developer Tony DeFeo's proposal for a casino in Kimball Township seems so far-fetched. His plan requires the approval of all 12 tribes. It's difficult to imagine that happening, although quite a few investors have placed $100,000 bets that it will.

Q: What is the concern about a legal precedent?
A: The Port Huron casino involves the settlement of a land claim. The deal was approved at the state level by Engler. If it's approved by Congress and President Bush, construction could begin within weeks. It circumvents the usual process outlined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires an environmental review and other approvals by the Interior Department.

Also, critics say it's absurd for the Bay Mills band to establish a tribal reserve in Port Huron, which is more than 300 miles from Brimley.

Q: But wasn't there a Chippewa reservation in Port Huron at one time?
A: Yes, 200 years ago - in November 1807 - area tribes agreed to sell their lands south of White Rock in Huron County. As part of the treaty, the Mekadewagamitigweyawininiwak - or "people of the black water river" - were given title to 1,287 acres on the south bank of the Black River in what is now Port Huron. The band sold its reservation about 30 years later.

Today, the descendants of the Indians who lived here are part of the Saginaw band, which opposes the casino.

A bit of trivia: Mekadewagamitigweyawininiwak - a 28-letter tongue-twister - is the longest Indian word recorded in the Handbook of American Indians: North of Mexico, a definitive study of Native Americans compiled a century ago by anthropologist Frederick Webb Hodge of the Smithsonian Institute.

Q: Won't a casino bring crime with it?
A: U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, a retired FBI agent who in April 2004 blocked an amendment for casinos in Romulus and Port Huron, is among those who believe it will. Others disagree and argue a casino is more likely to reduce crime by creating jobs and bolstering the local economy.

In a 2001 memo, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley reported only 13 police calls in the previous six months at Hiawatha Horse Park and Entertainment Centre. Point Edward's casino, directly across the river from the Edison Inn, has reported no major problems with crime.

Sarnia and Point Edward have vibrant economies, and gambling seems to have generated jobs and revenues as promised with no adverse effect on crime rates.

Q: Why not develop a casino downtown or on the Acheson property instead of at the Edison Inn?
A: Port Huron voters approved locating the casino anywhere within the city limits, but the agreement made with Engler in August 2002 limits Bay Mills to the Edison Inn parcel. Changing the site would require the tribe to negotiate with Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a former Wayne County administrator with close ties to Mayor Kilpatrick and his family. That seems neither prudent nor likely.

Q: What happens next with the bill?
A: It's hard to say with certainty. It could be attached to a larger piece of legislation. From Port Huron's perspective, it helps that the leaders of the Natural Resources Committee - Rep. Nick Joe Rahall, D-W.Va., and Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska - strongly support it.

Q: Why is that?
A: They argue it's a local issue. In the 2004 hearing, Rahall and Young made it clear that outsiders should not be allowed to overrule Congresswoman Miller in deciding what is best for her district.

At one point, Young told Rogers: "It appears to me, with 20 casinos in Michigan, it is those that have the casinos now (who) are ganging up against those that do not have and saying this in an inappropriate thing to do. And to me, that is really not quite cricket."

Q: What is the prospect of Senate approval?
A: U.S. Sen.
Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, has been a strong supporter. She has said a casino might help compensate the city for the tax base and population losses likely from the proposed half-billion-dollar expansion of the bridge customs plaza.

U.S. Sen.
Carl Levin, D-Detroit, one of the most influential figures on Capital Hill, has not opposed the casino, but he has not agreed to sponsor the measure either. To Washington insiders, that suggests his support is lukewarm at best.

Larry Thornton, a retired official with the railroad carmen's union, recently wrote Levin and asked the senator to help get the bill to the president's desk. Thornton argued St. Clair County desperately needs the jobs.

In his response, Levin seemed ambivalent. His letter closed with this passage:

"I believe decisions regarding gaming should be made at the local level, through city or county resolutions where the voices of those who would be directly affected by the final decision can be heard. At the same time, lawmakers at both the state and federal level must not overlook the fact that Michigan has the second largest number of casinos in the U.S. Should this rate persist, the market in Michigan will become so saturated that the economic benefits which result from tribal gaming initiatives will be lost."


Mike Connell is a columnist for the Times Herald. He can be reached at (810) 989-6259 or mconnell@gannett.com

TVT has welcomed more than 178,000 unique vistors

TVT, founded in December 2006, has averaged more than 20,000 visitors annually. It is produced with the support of scores of individuals from coast-to-coast, each a volunteer citizen activist/jounalist, who review tips and compile the verifiable details and documents that are the hallmark of our content.

Since our first post, more than 178,000 visitors have accessed the details compiled uniquely at TVT.

The citizen activists behind TVT wish to extened a big "THANK YOU" to all those who have provided "tips" -- contributed pictures, documents, link suggestions, leads, reports, insight and comments. Your trust and confidence in TVT has allowed us to create a comprehensive resource that thousands of others -- including bloggers, journalists, Members of Congress and other local citizen activists around the country -- have come to rely upon.

We invite feedback and constructive comment and want you to know you are welcome to do that here in "comments" or by contacting us directly and confidentially via allverifiable@gmail.com

Google News: Indian Gaming

NEWS: Bay Mills Indian Community & Casino Proposals

NEWS: Shinnecock Indian Nation (Gateway Casino Resorts) Casino Proposals

NY Times: Shinnecock Indian Nation

NEWS: Los Coyotes Indian Tribe

NEWS: Los Coyotes / Barwest Barstow Casino Proposals

NEWS: Michael J. Malik, Sr.

NEWS: Marian Ilitch

Muckety.com: Mapping Social Networks

Play with the interactive tool here or visit Muckety.com

TIP: Search for multiple entries in the Muckety.com database simultaneously by separating their names with the word and

certainly must reads!

Ilitch has backed loosing sports teams and pizza, but casinos in Detroit? Forbes.com 10.09.06 ● Marian Ilitch #1 on "25 Most Powerful People" to Watch 2006” global gaming business o1.oo.o5 ● My Kingdom for a Casino Forbes 05.08.06 ● Big Lagoon’s casino dream awakens north coast journal 07.28.05 ● Shinnecocks launch legal claim to Hamptons land newsday.com 06.16.05 ● Ilitch Plans to Expand Casino Empire RGTonline.com 07.05.05 ● Ilitch outbids partners MichiganDaily.com 04.14.05 ● Ilitch enmeshed in NY casino dispute detnews.com 03.20.05 ● Marian Ilitch, high roller freep.com 03.20.05 ● MGM Mirage to Decide on Offer for Casino in Detroit rgtonline.com 04.16.05 ● Secret deal for MotorCity alleged freep.com 02.15.05 ● Los Coyotes get new developer desertdispatch.com 02.08.05 Detroit casino figure to finance Barstow project LasVegasSun.com 07.07.03 ● Indian Band trying to put casino in Barstow signonSanDiego.com 06.04.03 Pizza matriarch takes on casino roles detnews.com 10.23.02 ● Vanderbilt gets short straw in negotiations for a casino Lansing Journal 10.06.02 ● Indians aim to drive family from tribe in vicious dispute san diego union tribune 04.09.00 ●Malik owns 2000 Michigan Quarter Horse of the Year Michigan.gov 01.01.00 ● Detroit Team to run Michigan’s newest Indian casino detnews.com 05.23.99 Tiger ties tangle Marian Ilitch detnews.com 04.29.99 ● Three investors must sell their Detroit casino interests gamblingmagazine.com 04.25.99 ● Partners’ cash revived election; They say money was crucial to Prop-E detnews.com 04.25.99 Investors have troubled histories las vegas review journal 04.27.99 ● Investor served probation for domestic assault on 12 year old boy detnews.com 04.25.99 Can a pair win a jackpot?: local men hope to... crainsdetroit.com 03.17.97

The Verifiable Truth